The Punisher: Everything You Need To Know About The Netflix Series

You wanna be punished? If what you’re doing is breaking the law, and Frank Castle finds out about it, you’re gonna be, because this is a guy who takes no prisoners in his one man war on crime. He’s also at the center of Netflix’s Marvel series, The Punisher, coming to the streaming service later this year.

Every Marvel series that Netflix has offered — which so far have included Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders cross-over event — has brought with it its own wave of excitement, and The Punisher could be the biggest of all. Introduced during season two of Daredevil, Jon Bernthal will be reprising the role of Frank Castle, who, following the murder of his family, seeks vengeance by taking down the criminal element, oftentimes crossing the moral and legal line to do so. His background is in the U.S. Special Forces, making him that much more effective at what he does.

“This whole superhero-comic-book thing is something I had zero interest in being a part of. The guys that I really, really respect as actors seem to have kind of purposely stayed away from that. I don’t mean that I’m above that or anything, just that it was not for me. But then when I got to know a little bit about this character… He ain’t got a f-cking cape. He ain’t got any superpowers. He’s a f-cking tortured, angry father and husband who’s living in this unbelievable world of darkness and loss and torment. Frank Castle resonates with me.”

Additionally, in teasing what audiences can expect from the series itself, he revealed to Entertainment Weekly, “I think with Frank and the world that he‘s very much involved in, he’s a soldier, so I think there will be very much a military component of the show. It will be somewhat centered on that. I think that the Frank Castle that was in Daredevil is not in Punisher.”

First Look At Jon Bernthal In Action

Our sister site Empire scored an exclusive first image of Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle. They describe it as follows: "Taken from a flashback, the image shows Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle in his pre-Punisher days, geared up to the nines in tactical sniper gear as a veteran of the US Marine Corps. It suggests we'll get to know a little more about Frank's backstory and how he became the ruthless murdering vigilante we all know and love."

Where Did The Punisher Come From? We Speak Exclusively To His Creator, Gerry Conway

Back in 1974, Gerry Conway was writing and John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru were drawing the monthly Marvel comic The Amazing Spider-Man. In issue #129, they introduced the character of Frank Castle’s The Punisher, never expecting it to take on a life of its own in the way that it has.

FHM: What Led To The Creation Of The Punisher?

Gerry Conway: “I needed a "secondary" but powerful henchman villain to introduce The Jackal as an important, powerful enemy for Spider-Man, and because of what was happening in the culture at the time, a ruthless morally rigid vigilante seemed like a workable concept.”

FHM: Obviously You Create A Character For A Company Like Marvel And From There, Other Writers Take In On. With That In Mind, What's Your Feeling About How The Character Has Evolved Over The Years?

Gerry Conway: “I'm fascinated by the various interpretations different writers have given to the basic anti-hero concept. In my view, The Punisher is a cultural Rorschach test, reflecting more of what the viewer/writer/artist brings to it than what might be present in the character himself. When people believe government has failed in its role as defender, they elevate anti-heroes to heroic stature, forgetting that the anti-hero is a critique of society's failure, not an answer.”

FHM: What Are Your Thoughts On The Adaptations To Date, Considering There Have Been Three Movies And Jon Bernthal On Daredevil?

Gerry Conway: “I haven't seen any of the movies for personal reasons, but I have seen the Daredevil series and I'm looking forward to The Punisher Netflix series. Bernthal makes a wonderful Frank Castle, clearly communicating the broken heart and moral confusion and rage that drives The Punisher.”

Jon Bernthal: From The Walking Dead To The Punisher

The man bringing The Punisher to life is Jon Bernthal, who has appeared in such films as The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013), Fury (2014), Sicario (2015), The Accountant (2016) and Baby Driver (2017). On television, he’s best known for playing Detective Joe Teague in Mob City and, of course, The Walking Dead’s Shane Walsh, right-hand man to Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

A Guide To Who’s Who

Jon Bernthal Is Frank Castle: A vigilante who will use any means necessary to fight crime.

Ben Barnes Is Billy Russo: Castle's best friend when he was a part of Special Forces. He currently runs the private military corporation Anvil.

Ebon Moss-Bachrach Is Micro: Assisting Castle currently, he was an NSA analyst.

Amber Rose Revah Is Dinah Madani: An agent for the Department Of Homeland Security who tries to track Castle.

Deborah Ann Woll Is Karen Page: Reporter for the New York Bulletin, in season two of Daredevil she connected with Frank Castle in a way that no one had been able to.

Daniel Webber Is Lewis Walcott: He's a war veteran who is struggling to fit back in with society.

Jason R. Moore Is Curtis Hoyle: Castle is believed dead, and Hoyle is one of the few who know that he's actually still alive. They're old friends.

Paul Shulze Is Rawline: A member of the CIA who had come across Castle while they were both in Afghanistan.

Jaime Ray Newman Is Sarah Lieberman: She is the wife of Micro.

Michael Nathanson Is Sam Stein: Madani's partner at the Department Of Homeland Security.

Season 1 Episode Titles

1. "3AM"

2. "Two Dead Men"

3. "Kandahar"

4. "Resupply"

5. "Gunner"

6. "The Judas Goat"

7. "Crosshairs"

8. "Cold Steel"

9. "Front Toward Enemy"

10. "Virtue Of The Viscous"

11. "Danger Close"

12. "Home"

13. "Momento Mori"

Previous Adaptations Of The Punisher

The character has previously been adapted to film in a 1989 production that starred Dolph Lundgren as the title character. While, pretty much dismissed by most people, one intriguing aspect of the film is the plot element that has Castle going up against the Yakuza, fighting alongside the man who killed his family to rescue kidnapped children.

Fifteen years later, the character was back in the form of Thomas Jane in The Punisher. This time, FBI agent, and former soldier, Castle retires when an operation goes wrong, resulting in the death of businessman Howard Saint’s (John Travolta) son. Holding Castle responsible, Saint has his family murdered, which ultimately results in the creation of The Punisher.

It was another four years before the next film, Ray Stevenson taking on the part in Punisher: War Zone. In it, Castle goes after mob boss Billy “Jigsaw” Russoti, played by Dominic West, who, after becoming disfigured in their battle, seeks vengeance from him, leading to a deadly game of cat and mouse between them.